Wo
rking with Professor Deborah Rudacille, I will be completing a multi-media journalistic feature to give voices to underheard and underrepresented Pakistani people in America and Pakistan. My project will focus on the experiences of first-generation Pakistani-American people who struggle with the differences between growing up in American culture versus the traditional Pakistani culture and values of their parents. Experiences and stories gained from interviews with first-generation Pakistani-Americans and individuals still residing in Pakistan will be used to show how they navigate sometimes conflicting identities and experiences. The feature will explore sexualities, communities, politics and religion in both countries. My goal for this project is to create a unifying piece of work that will help people to better understand themselves and show others that the struggle to balance personal autonomy with cultural expectations is valid and necessary.